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Some sports fans call it the best sports time of the year. People flock to their computers to fill out a bracket. Flock to their bookie or the guys running the bracket office pool, and mostly importantly, they flock to their phones to call in sick on Thursday and Friday.

I’m talking about March Madness.

There are so many aspects to this tournament that make it so great. The upsets, the personal favorites, nonstop basketball on tv for 4 days straight, the real life drama, etc.

But there is one really sad fact. All but one team will finish their season with a W. Everyone else will lose. That’s the sad truth.

The mid major school you just watched celebrate winning their conference tournament and first tournament appearance will probably get their butts handed to them the next time they play. This more than likely will be the last time you see this team celebrate a win together. They will probably be a 14 or 13 seed, play a school from the ACC, and just getting stomped. They will be down 20 at the half, and then Coach K will put in the white kid whose only job on the team is to pass tests and keep the team GPA above 2.8.

And lets be honest, all of us still only cheer for UNC because Jordan went to school there.

Washington, because of the pitching. Atlanta’s lineup is comparable, and maybe better, but the injuries have killed that rotation. Ervin Santana had one good year, and got overpaid, and Aaron Harang is in that rotation now…

I will say that the model they’re using with the extensions they’re giving out is brilliant.

I’ll get to Milwaukee in a second, but if you look at the cards deficiencies last year, they’re gone. They got nothing from shortstop all year, now they have Jhonny Peralta. Craig replaces Beltran in right, Carpenter moves over to third, and Wong goes to second. They traded Freese for Peter Borjous, who was so good at center, that the angels put Trout in left for him.

Rizzo is going to hit, Castro can hit, but I think he gets traded this year, and Mike Olt looks like he might be what he was supposed to be in Texas, and that rotation will sneak up on people. Samardzija, Edwin Jackson, and Jason Hammel are a legit 1/2/3

The Reds are really going to miss Choo. Billy Hamilton is exciting, but you can’t steal first base.

Segura is exciting, Braun is good, but a juicer, and no me gusta. They have platoons at first and second, and Aramis is getting up there in age at 3rd. Lucroy is exciting at catcher, if he can stay healthy.

Arizona has been mediocre two years in a row, and they lost Corbin to Tommy John. The rotation is ok, but no real ace. The lineup is extremely dependent on Paul Goldschmidt. Mark Trumbo will hit some bombs, but his OBP is not good. The bullpen will be really good, but I’m not sure they will have a ton of leads to protect.

Posey is a fantastic hitter, but I hold these new rules about collisions at the plate against him and Sabean. Pence raked last year, and Brandon Belt terrifies me as a fan of an opposing team in the division. Pablo Sandoval swings at, and hits everything, somehow.

Bumgarner is great, Cain is great, Lincecum can be great. Tim Hudson is pretty good when he isn’t hurt, and Vogelsong may have remembered who he was, but he’s better than Zito. That’s a very solid rotation. Romo locks down games at the end. I think they don’t have depth, in regards to the lineup.

So it has been a while since anything has happened over here, and we apologize. Work and life have overtaken us, and time to sit down and post something good just doesn’t come too often.

This morning I started a new morning gig doing production, producing and on-air stuff in radio again. If you are interested in funny stories and indie music, check out My Static Radio you can stream live and podcast the morning show which I am on.

Next month I will be working doing on field promos between innings for the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. I bring these things up because I plan on doing lots of blogging about working in radio and minor league baseball for the next few months. I figured it would be fun to give some insight into both fields, which I am so thankful and blessed to work in.

Also I will be working on a MLB Season preview. Should be out before the season begins. Hopefully.

If you are for Phil Robertsons’s right to believe and say what he believes, then you should also be for A&E’s right as a privately owned company to fire him for saying something that they feel doesn’t match up to what their company is about. Right or wrong it how America works. Just as churches should not having to hire homosexuals or have gay weddings. #coldhardfacts

“I am in exile, a sojourner, a citizen of some other place. All I’ve seen is just a glimmer in a shadowy mirror, but I know, one day we’ll see face to face.I am a nomad, a wanderer, I have nowhere to lay my head down. There’s no point in putting roots too deep when I’m moving on, not settling for this unsettling town.My heart is filled with songs of forever, the city that endures when all is made new. I know I don’t belong here. I’ll never, call this place my home, I’m just passing through.I am a pilgrim, a voyager. I won’t rest until my lips touch the shore, of the land that I’ve been longing for as long as I’ve lived, where they’ll be no pain or tears anymore.My heart is filled with songs of forever, a city that endures when all is made new. I know I don’t belong here, I’ll never, call this place my home. I’m just passing through.

What does this mean to me? I add the to me, because I in know way claim to have some kind of insight, or knowledge of what prompted the author (Dustin Kensrue) to write the song. I do know, that Dustin is a Christian, and I do believe that Christ permeates through his songwriting, so I’m going with that. There’s a verse in the bible, Hebrews 11:13, that I believe may be the impetus for some of the words penned. The verse goes “all these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on Earth” NLT. Aside from the exact verbiage (nomad), I believe that the prevailing themes of this verse, are shown throughout the song. The verse itself is found in Hebrews 11, which refers to the “Heroes of the faith” within the bible. This particular chapter is giving some highlights of past Israelite’s faith. Beginning with Abel and his complete submissiveness in his sacrifice to God, and running through the Judges of Israel, and the trailing prophets. The verse itself, is directly referring to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob. Verses 8-10 say ” It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. Abraham is known for being the father of nations, and for even going as far as offering his son as a sacrifice, because that’s what God commanded. But before things got that far, he was called to leave everything. This alone was an enormous test of faith, but then, he didn’t waltz right in, set up a tent, and begin his legacy. He was forced to wander through many many towns along the way. The song could be referring to Shechem, or Egypt, Bethel, Ai, or Sodom (where he spent time rescuing his nephew). You get the point, he moved around a lot. The more I’m studying this, the more I’m thinking it’s possible that this song is actually written about Abraham, but like I said, there’s no definiteness in a speculative piece. “I am in exile, a sojourner, a citizen of some other place. All I’ve seen is just a glimmer in a shadowy mirror, but I know, one day we’ll see face to face.”The tone for this entire song is set in the first six words. To be in exile means to be cast out. Abraham was actually cast out of Egypt, but I believe when he’s referring to being a citizen of some other place, he’s referring to a place not of this world. The glimmer in a shadowy mirror is a concrete image of an abstract concept. It says that The Lord called Abraham. Instead of giving us the voice in the wind, Dustin paints the picture of a man shown variables, but not the final equation. He still has faith, and knows that one day (time not determined) he will see God face to face.

“I am a nomad, a wanderer, i have nowhere to lay my head down. There’s no point in putting roots too deep when I’m moving on, not settling for this unsettling town.”The verbiage in this verse is what originally caught my ear in regards to verse 13. They were “Nomads and Foreigners here on Earth”. Abraham and his family had physical places to lay their heads, but, in a metaphorical sense, they weren’t resting. They knew that just as soon as they arrived, they’d be moving on again. It’s important to look at the language Dustin uses when he says “not settling for this unsettling town”. He changes the tone of the wanderer. To take a line from Tolkien, “Not all who wander are lost”. This is applicable, because the wanderer is choosing to not settle. The wanderer knows that better things await, so there’s no point in settling anywhere other than their ultimate home.

My heart is filled with songs of forever, the city that endures when all is made new. I know I don’t belong here, I’ll never, call this place my home, I’m just passing through.I’ll just speculate and expound upon some thoughts here. The songs of forever refer to the eternal. God and Heaven extend upon forever and ever. Revelation speaks numerous times of all creatures (in Heaven, and….. otherwise) singing the praises of the lord. There will be constant praises and singing in heaven. The city that endures, would be heavenly as well, all things being made new refer to the transformation from death to life, that takes place when people receive Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:17 states “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” NLT. In a literal sense, the rest of the chorus could refer to Abraham never tying down, in a metaphorical sense, it refers to all of us, not being content on a planet that isn’t our eternal home.“I am a pilgrim, a voyager. I won’t rest until my lips touch the shore, of the land that I’ve been longing for as long as I’ve lived, where they’ll be no pain or tears anymore.”The song contains one more verse. If we choose to refer back to Abraham, he was looking for the infamous “promised land” that the Israelites continued to look for far after Abraham had left this Earth. It was a land that was said to be “flowing with milk and honey”. Personally, I like the imagery presented by the lips touching the shore of a land filled with such treats. Bringing it full circle back to us, believers long for a place where the burdens and struggles of this world are lifted off their shoulders, a place without pain or tears. Revelation 21:4 speaks of this place “he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” NLT. So umm… there’s that. So what’s the point of doing all this? Why sit down and type these words that maybe no one will read, maybe one person will read? In the end, it’s not for me. Every second I spend here, speculating on what God is saying through Dustin Kensrue, is a second I’m not spending being selfish or impulsive. I’m not doing anything self immolating, or self destructive. Maybe it isn’t a prerequisite that we sit in a trancelike state and wait to hear God speak to us through a burning bush. I can only hope that what I’m doing here is beneficial. I’d like it to be beneficial to me, but if it’s beneficial to anyone else, then all the glory goes to God. Without him, I wouldn’t have a sisters laptop to borrow.

With 6 team in the AFC with 5-6 records, all are tied for the final WIld Card Spot. (KC is 9-2 and in the lead of the other WIldcard spot.) With 5 games left we break down all 6 teams chances of making the playoffs.

Miami: Going off stats and schedule, Miami has the worst shot at the playoffs of the 6. They play at Jets, at Pittsburgh, New England, at Buffalo, and Jets, The only team they play that isn’t in direct playoff hunt is Buffalo, who is 4-7 and leads the NFL in sacks and INT. Lamar Miller has had 3 straight weeks of not being able to make any real contributions to the offense and they play the number 1 ranked rushing defense, the Jets, twice. If they want to stay in the hunt they will have to rely on Ryan Tannehill and the 20th ranked pass offense. Atleast the weather is nice in Miami this time of year.

Tennessee: Of their 5 remaining games, in only 2 of them would you consider them serious underdogs, at Denver and against Arizona. The other 3 games are very much more winnable. They play the Colts who they lost to by 3 points last time, and they play Jacksonville and Houston who are both terrible. But will going 3-2 and ending the season .500 be enough to get in the playoffs?

San Diego: Schedule Cin, NYG, @Den,Oak, KC. Phillip Rivers is on this year, but they can’t stop anyone on D. They have the 29th ranked D in the league, which hurts their chances having to play some of the top QB’s, Dalton, Eli, and Peyton. On the plus side, they play KC who has been exposed as a not so great D against the pass and is banged up, and Oakland who is 25th against the pass. I see them going 2-3, losing to Cin, NYG, and Denver.

New York Jets: Schedule Miami, Oakland, at Carolina, Cleveland, at Miami. Well they have the best run D, but the rest of the team you never know what to expect. The last weeks they have been outscored 17 to 56. The week before that they beat New Orleans. They have a descent schedule, they actually could easily win 4 of the 5 games, or lose all 5. You never know with the Jets! I see them going 2-3, losing to Oakland, Carolina, and the season ender against Miami.

Pittsburgh: Schedule at Baltimore, Miami, Cincinnati, at Green Bay, Cleveland. Their weakness this year is the stopping the run, and they play a handful of teams that can run the ball very well. Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Green Bay will be the stumbling blocks that keep them out of the playoffs.

Baltimore: Schedule Pittsburgh, Minnesota, at Detroit, New England, at Cincinnati. Baltimore gets lucky to have two weaker AFC North teams lined up, but Pittsburgh, New England, and Cincinnati. Lucky for them, struggling Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce will face two of the worst Rush D’s in the league, New England and Pittsburgh. Cincinnati is a complete matchup nightmare for Baltimore this year. They will also have the number pass target Dennis Pitta returning to help the offense out. I see them going 4-1 and ultimately winning the Wild Card. Don’t look for a deep playoff run though.

Carlos Beltran: All reports have him in New York. The one problem in length of contract. New York is only looking for 2-3 years while sources say Beltran wants 3-4. KC is the other team in the mix, the team Beltran started his career with, and Detroit looking to fill a hole in the outfield.

Shin Soo Choo: Scott Boras believes Choo should get Jayson Werth money. If that is the case, pretty much take all small markets out, maybe even the Yankees if they are planning on staying under $189 million, and it leaves a few teams. Texas and Detroit seem to be the names everyone is reporting to be in on Choo. Don’t be surprised if Boston gets involved as well.

Texas Rangers: They are going after any and all free agent outfielders. They are looking to either add a lead off or big bat to help Fielder in the middle of the lineup. This years free agent outfielders list is full of speed and power so depending on how the market moves, Ellsbury, Choo, Granderson, and Beltran are all out there for the taking.

New York Yankees: Just like the above mentioned Rangers, NYY seems to be in on all outfield free agents. SI reports they are also planning on setting up another meeting with Cano and company, then there is the Masahiro Tanaka situation that doesn’t look like it will be resolved till next month.